Singularity
by CondorTalon
Summary: Grima is defeated, Robin is gone, and the world moves on. Or so the story is supposed to go. And as Robin wakes up once again in the familiar field, alone, he quickly realizes that this isn't how it's supposed to happen. Supposed to happen? Why does Robin know what that means? (DISCONTINUED - please read the final chapter)
1. Multivariable Collapse

He hadn't even opened his eyes when he realized that something was wrong.

No, not wrong. 'Wrong' wasn't exactly the right word. Robin settled for 'off'.

Yes, something was off.

Wearily, he opened his eyes to an expansive blue sky. It was calm, as far as he could tell. Birds chirped, the grass and trees blew lightly in the pleasant wind that was also passing over him. Robin swore he could hear water flowing, somewhere nearby. It was a sound that he hadn't heard for a long while. The whole scene, from what he could tell using the senses that were still working, was rather peaceful. It was almost doing a good job of distracting him, of keeping his mind off the heaviness he was feeling right now.

Something was definitely off.

Robin lifted himself to a seated position, his body aching from the position he'd been lying in for who knows how long now. He looked around, taking in his surroundings, filling in the missing details of the picture he was busy filling in. He was in a field, very similar to the one he'd woken up in when he'd first met Chrom.

_Chrom._

Robin stood quickly, but staggered, clutching his head. He felt dizzy, no doubt caused by his standing up too quickly. He looked around with his swarming vision, searching for Chrom. Searching for Lissa.

_Where were they?_

Robin's 'off' feeling was upgrading itself to his original 'wrong' very, very quickly.

He staggered in a direction, feeling a mixture of anxiety, dread, and, as he would quickly realize, a worrying case of deja vu.

"Chrom! Lissa? ...Frederick?!" he called out, in vain. There was no response, and Robin's stomach felt heavy.

There was something wrong with this situation. Yes, this was definitively firmly in the 'wrong' camp, now.

Where were they? They're supposed to be here! Why aren't they here?! This isn't how it's supposed to-

Wait.

_'This isn't how it's supposed to go'?_

Robin stopped, wracking his brain.

Why did he think that? Was he expecting them to be there when he woke up? Why? He had no reason to expect them to be there. In fact, he had no reason to believe that he'd wake up at all. That he was standing here was a miracle in and of itself, so why was he more concerned than anything.

Robin felt a small headache coming on, and he clutched his head again.

It was then that he registered something on his finger. His ring finger.

He brought his left hand to his eyes, finally noticing the ring on his finger. Robin, despite himself, couldn't help but smile. The proof of his marriage. The matching gift he'd gotten after giving his promise to his wife.

_Lovely, lovely Ol-_

_..._

_Su-..._

_Ma-..._

_..._

_No._ It all begin to slide into place. He felt sick to his stomach. It couldn't possibly be right. He knew it shouldn't be right, but his memories betrayed him.

Why did he expect Chrom and Lissa to be there when he woke up? He knew the answer now, but it didn't even make him feel better anymore. No, it just made him feel worse.

He remembered them being there... the last time. It had all happened before. He remembered watching Sumia sweep Chrom off his feet, barely avoiding getting skewered by javelins. He remembered Emmeryn, walking off the precipice to her death. He remembered their incredibly risky tactic of ramming their ships into the Valmese fleet. He remembered when his clone revealed himself as the future version of Grima, come back to the past. He remembered him sacrificing himself to destroy Grima once and for all.

And he remembered it happening over and over and _over_ again.

He remembered the look on Lissa's face when she opened the box he gave and found a ring inside. He remembered trying to left-field Maribelle for advice on confessing. He remembered Cordelia throwing her home-made javelin off the cliff. He remembered all but thanking Minerva for allowing him to be with Cherche.

He also remembered the look on Lissa's face when she showed him the needlepoint cat she was going to give to Gaius. He remembered Maribelle twiddling with the signet ring on her finger. He remembered how happy Stahl looked when he and Cordelia finished their duet. He remembered watching Donnel lugging an enormous ring back into camp.

The details changed each time, but it happened over and over.

The conclusion hit him like a ton of bricks, and he doubled over, suddenly feeling very nauseated.

He remembered.

He remembered all of it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, here we go. I've finally decided to dip my foot into the sea of fanfic writing. Hopefully I don't drown. **

**This is the first fanfic I've ever written, and although I've done a bit of creative writing (thanks to PbP RPs), I've never actually gotten around to writing a work of fiction by myself.  
><strong>

**I've been toying with two ideas in particular for this fic, after playing Awakening non-stop for the last 2.5 weeks (incidentally, it's not even my Awakening copy. Or my 3DS). The first idea should be fairly obvious from what's seen above. The other one won't show up until maybe a chapter or two later.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading this if you have been. Please send a review or two my way, and stay tuned for the next chapter (whenever that is)!  
><strong>


	2. Conflagration Point

...

_Breathe._

...

_Breathe._

Having an anxiety attack was definitely not going to help him, and after a few more deep breaths he stood, his brain going into thinking mode.

Not that he had much to go off of really. If this was actually after the whole ordeal, then the fact that Chrom and Lissa weren't standing above him meant that something was different between this time and all the other times that this happened. That meant a lot of things, but the most worrying one was that something had happened to them before they could find him. Something bad.

Robin felt the heaviness in his stomach return, but he forced himself to put up with it. If something had happened to them, he needed to find out what and why, and he wasn't going to get any of it by simply standing around.

And if this was indeed the field that he'd woken up in, that meant Southtown was just an hour's walk away.

He needed answers, and that was a good place as any. If anything happened to the Exalt, then no doubt all of Ylisse would know about it.

* * *

><p>She dove into a narrow alley, panting heavily, sweat dotting her forehead. She peeked her head out from behind the crates she had chosen as her hiding spot, only to duck under again as she caught a glimpse of movement.<p>

"She couldn't have gotten far, boys! Find her and tie her up! She'll sell well on the market! Baaaaaahahahahaha!"

She sprinted further down the alley, away from the shouting, away from the sound of buildings burning, away from the screaming.

She caught more movement up ahead and ducked to the side into another branch of the alleyway, swearing under her breath.

_Damn it, damn it all. I should have stocked up on Arcfires, but nooooo. We don't need those anymore. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Father would have never been caught out like this!_

She peeked out again from the pile of sacks of food, to see if someone was there.

There was.

"Heheheh... there you are... Hey, I fou- uuuggh!" the bandit not-quite-finished, before the sword tip sticking out from his chest retracted and he fell to the floor.

"Sis!" the girl behind the sacks shouted, her voice hoarse.

The other girl grabbed her wrist, pulling her up.

"Come on, Morgan! This way!"

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before Robin saw Southtown coming into vision over the horizon. It looked about the same as it was when he first saw it.<p>

As he wandered closer, though, he also saw that it looked about as on fire as it was when he first saw it.

_Oh gods no._

He began to sprint.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And here's Chapter 2! We get our first conflict, with two new characters! It's Morgan and... well... I'll reveal that in the next chapter. Considering that Morgan called her 'sis', well...**

**The pairings I'm using for this fic (more specifically, for the current loop) are based my most recent playthrough of FE:A aka my first one aka the one I haven't even finished yet that's right I'm making a fic without finishing the game first #yolo (I'm using that ironically please don't lynch me).**

**We've gotten a hint for a pairing already, and I'll be dropping subtle and not-so-subtle ones for the other pairings I have. Reviews are always welcome. Stay tuned!**


	3. Strategic Unification

Robin grasped at his Thoron as he crossed the boundary of the town. The smell of burning buildings punctuated the gravity of the situation, and he scowled.

He had a hunch, really, based on what had happened last time this happened, and he prepared to meet some resistance.

He wasn't expecting a welcome party, though.

"Well, well, well! Lookie what we've got here!"

Robin stared down the twenty or so men, covered in soot and spattered in blood. The one in the middle, the one who had spoken, stepped forward, tapping the back of his axe against his shoulder. He eyed the tome in Robin's hands, before his grin transformed into a wicked smile.

"Who do you think you are, little man, to interrupt Jackyl's fun? Why don't we show him a good-" a blast of lightning shot from Robin's palm, and the man barely dodged the beam.

"Oooh! Feisty, aren't you? Get him, boys! Baaaaaaaaaahahaha!"

At that, the men around him charged, wildly swinging their weapons as they ran. Robin ran to the side, firing bolt after bolt at the mob. Robin managed to catch three or four of them in the blasts, stopping them in their tracks, but he didn't have the benefit of a planted stance or concentration. He instead settled for a strafe tactic, which meant sacrificing accuracy for safety.

Robin ducked into a nearby building, barreling through the front door, looking for some sort of window or back door or something to get through. His idea was to get as many choke points between him and the rabble of brigands as possible.

He found what he was looking for: a window with a shattered pane. There was barely any glass left on the frame, no doubt caused by the bandits themselves. Barely given any time to think, he leapt through the window, suffering a few minor cuts but nothing too major. He landed weirdly, though, and felt a pain shoot up his left ankle.

_Damn it._

He heard a cackle behind him, and instinctively shot another bolt of lightning through the window. He registered a loud thud, and hobbled down the street as fast as he could, before winding down a set of alleyways.

* * *

><p>"Keep running, Morgan, come on!"<p>

She couldn't. She couldn't keep running. She was getting tired, and running out of breath.

"I'm... sorry, sis... I can't... keep... going..."

"What? Oh come on!" the other girl gasped, before turning to look behind her.

Morgan followed her gaze, to find three bandits rushing at them.

"Damn the gods!"

Morgan found herself flung by the wrist into another alleyway. If she was being honest, this was getting tedious. The last thing she saw was her sister getting surrounded by the bandits, who had by now caught up.

_No, you... can't..._

* * *

><p>It seemed that Robin had somehow lost the mob, and he sat against a wall of the alley, catching his breath. His ankle ached, and tried to massage the pain away. He was also using the lull to try and piece his memories together.<p>

See, the problem with remembering every iteration of the loop was that it became almost impossible to recall what had happened in the most recent loop.

He stared at his ring. He stared hard, hoping that something would pop up in his mind. He was so focused on this task that he almost forgot that bandits were roaming the streets and buildings were burning not a few blocks away from him.

It took a thud from nearby to snap him out of his thoughts. He popped his head out from the corner, his tome at the ready, just in case.

She was wearing the same robes as he was.

"Oh gods, Morgan!" he said, a sort of loud whisper escaping his lips. He scooped up his daughter, checking for any wounds.

As he picked her up, he couldn't help but notice her bright red hair.

"Mmmh... Father... you're back," she breathed. Robin sighed in relief. She looked fine. Tired, but fine.

"Thank gods, you're unhurt."

"Father... S-... Severa's..."

Robin registered the sounds of fighting nearby, and the pit in his stomach returned with a vengeance.

"R-Right. You wait right here. Stay hidden. I'll be right back."

Robin had already put two and two together, and rushed towards the sounds of fighting.

* * *

><p>"Gah!" Severa gasped as her side exploded in pain. She bit her lip before running her blade across the neck of the two remaining bandits. She'd managed to send her sword between the ribs of one, but the axe of the second one had caught her in the hip. She stared down the last brigand.<p>

"Whatsa matter, girly? Does it hurt?" he taunted.

"Sh-Shut up! You won't be laughing when you're dead!" she shouted before charging toward him. She swung the blade down, but the bandit parried with the handle of his axe, shoving his arms to the side, bringing her sword to the side along with it. He righted himself, swinging the flat of the axe to her head. She ducked the swing, before sending her shoulder into the man's gut. He staggered backward. Severa matched his steps, moving forward as he did backward. She slashed at his stomach and drew blood, but over-swung, leaving her open to-

Severa found all the wind knocked out of her as she fell to the ground, the wound at her side not helping matters.

The bandit said nothing, a grim expression on his face being the only thing he showed as he raised his axe. Severa squeezed her eyes shut.

_Morgan... I..._

The sound of lightning nearby, followed by the clanging of the axe onto the ground next to her and the thud slightly behind her, caused her to open them again. The bandit was no longer standing above her. Instead...

"Severa! This way!"

"...Daddy?"

She couldn't believe her eyes. Robin... her father... was back.

Quicker than even she thought she could, she stood and rushed her father for a hug.

"Oh gods... Daddy, you're back!"

* * *

><p>"Yes, dear, I'm back," Robin said, a smile appearing on his face momentarily. "I've missed you, Severa. But we should continue our reunion later. We still have a battle on our hands."<p>

"Huh? R-Right! Where's Morgan?" Severa quickly stammered, moving away from him.

He wordlessly pointed down to the alleyway he had just come out of, the same alleyway that Severa had tossed Morgan into.

Morgan hugged her father as soon as she saw him.

"Father... I've missed you... *sniff* so much..."

Severa hesitated for a few seconds before doing the same.

"Girls... I... can hardly breathe..."

_Sheesh, so much for saving the reunion until later..._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So Severa is Morgan's sister, which means it should be obvious whom Robin married in this loop.**

**I still feel that writing out action-heavy scenes is something I need to improve on, so I was really stretching out writing this chapter (he says, after publishing the last chapter a day beforehand). I'm not 100% satisfied with how this chapter ends, but at the same time it leads well into the start of the next chapter, which I honestly don't want to tack onto this one.**

**So, next time we'll see the conclusion of the battle and get into the real meat of the story. As always, please leave a review, and stay tuned!  
><strong>

_** OH GOD IT'S 2AM RIGHT NOW I'M SO TIRED**_


	4. Instinct Algorithm

Morgan, to her credit, had been more prepared than she gave herself credit for.

As she and Severa broke off from Robin, Severa winced, and Morgan had just noticed the wound on her side.

"Hold still, sis," she whispered, pulling out a small skin from her pouch. As she did so, a roll of parchment slipped out right along with it.

"Hmm? Morgan, what's this?" Robin asked, picking up the scroll. He unrolled the parchment, skimming it with his eyes. "Morgan, is this...?"

"A map of the town, Father... it's crude, and mostly from memory... but it's better than nothing."

Severa wordlessly took the skin from Morgan's hand, downing a gulp of the vulnerary and handing it back.

"I... would have been fine, geez. But... thanks," she said, the last part devolving into mumbling. She felt the familiar tingling as the fast acting vulnerary healed her wound.

Robin looked more closely at the map, using it to plan out a strategy.

_If I'm right, the leader of the bandits will be in the town hall. It's easily defensible, and it's the largest building in town. A perfect symbol of their power._

"Girls, are you ready to go?"

They both nodded quietly.

* * *

><p>After weaving through alleyways, and in and out of buildings, the group eventually came to a spot with the town hall in view. The bandit leader... Robin recalled him calling himself Jackyl. He stood at the entrance to the town hall, tossing a coin in the air with a wide toothy grin. Around him stood three other men, each seeming to be waiting for something.<p>

...Robin had to admit... Someone with a lesser strategic mind would have walked right out there, but to Robin it was way too obvious.

"We need a distraction... someone to lure them away..." Robin whispered.

He turned his head to look at Morgan, who in turn looked at Severa.

"...Wha- Why do I- Oh gawds, fine!" Severa huffed.

"Sorry, honey," Robin said, looking as apologetic as possible. "It won't take long. I'll signal for you when it's time to come back."

"The things I do..." Severa mumbled. "If I die, I'm haunting you forever!"

With that parting statement, she ran out into the open.

"Hey, jerkwads! Sure do look confident while you're picking your noses over there, aren't you?!" Severa shouted, trying to abate the shaking in her voice. She was scared. She trusted her dad... but she was still scared.

"What's this, little girl? You want to take us all on? Baaaaaaahahaha! You're funny, girl! You should take up comedy! And what do you think to do against us?"

Even as Jackyl talked, Robin eyed small amounts of movement in his periphery. His hunch was right.

"I could easily take on the four of you!"

"Hah! I doubt it, girlie! But you sure seem confident, huh? I'd love to crush your hopes... like this!"

And with that, as if on cue, about eight more thugs came out from the shadows.

Severa gulped. _You'd better be ready, Father._

"You gaggle of geese couldn't catch a crippled turtle! I'll outrun you slowpokes all the way to Ylisstol!" she taunted, before running away from them and turning the corner.

"Grrrr! I will not be made fun of! You hear me girlie?! ...After her!" And with a loud roar, the group of thugs chased after the lone girl.

"Only such a pack of idiots would let a girl escape their clutches!" Jackyl snarled.

"And only an incompetent leader would blame his subordinates for his short-sightedness," Robin replied, stepping into the open. He immediately followed it up with a blast with his Thoron.

"Hello again, party boy!" Jackyl laughed, easily sidestepping the bolt. Robin quickly fired another blast at the lone man, and he easily sidestepped that one as well.

"Have you gotten stupider since the last time we met, boy?! Even a snail could dodge such an obvious barrage!"

Robin scowled, before sending three more consecutive beams at him. He could see the pages begin to oxidate from its use, and he knew the book would lose its power soon.

"Hah! You don't learn, do you? It's like you're not even trying anymore! You'll run through an entire library before you hit me!"

"I know," Robin said deliberately. His eyes flickered, a movement impossible to catch from such a distance. "But wouldn't it be tragic for you if that was never my intention?" he finished with a smirk.

Jackyl's face fell.

"What are you talki- hrk!"

There was a sword sticking out his stomach.

There was a sword... sticking out... of his stomach.

He felt something push on his back. The sword slid out from the wound and he felt himself fall to the floor.

"Stop... talking..." Morgan said, breathing heavily. She lowered the sword, and slowly walked over to meet her father.

Robin used one of the last few charges of his Thoron to fire a bolt into the air. That was the signal for Severa to come back.

"Good job... Morgan," Robin said, feeling a little out of breath himself.

"Father! You almost hit me with one of those bolts! If I hadn't known about the plan, I would have been fried!" Morgan pouted.

"But... you did well to dodge the blasts anyway..." Robin replied sheepishly.

"Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaather!" Severa yelled, her voice fading in from the distance. She collided with Robin, hugging him tightly. Robin looked up to see the group of bandits from before rush in. They ran about halfway towards them when they slowly noticed the body of their leader and screeched, rather comedically, to a halt.

"Your leader's dead," Robin said humorlessly. "Unless you want to join him, you'll leave this town immediately." The gang, in a rather abrupt attitude change, looked amongst each other and decided that pillaging actually did give fewer rewards than not dying. They scattered away, leaving the trio alone.

"Father... here's your sword back." Morgan said, handing in over to Robin.

"Thanks. You did well with it."

Robin placed his hand on Morgan's head, ruffling her hair a bit.

"Father, stop! I'm not a child." Morgan said, pouting again.

"Gawds! What are you two doing? You're so embarrassing!" Severa yelled, butting in. "We need to check on the townspeople!"

Right. The townspeople.

* * *

><p>"Thank you very much, Robin... to be honest... it's still hard to believe you're back," said the town elder.<p>

Indeed, they had found the surviving villagers hiding in one of the untouched buildings. One of the villagers had recognized Robin, and there was an uproar for quite a while. Eventually, and mostly thanks to Severa, the townspeople had calmed down.

"It's... hard to believe it too," Robin lied. It wasn't hard for Robin to believe it. Not anymore.

"But still... a bandit attack? I would think that the Shepherds had done much to stop this... kind of thing..." Robin trailed as he noticed the townspeople's faces pale.

"Er... that is to say..." the elder started.

"Father..." Morgan said. There was a look of unease on her face, and Robin already knew he wasn't going to like this.

"Chrom... and the Shepherds... they've disappeared."

* * *

><p><em>"Robin! You can't leave! Not like this! Robin! Robin!" Chrom yelled, as he held the broken body of the tactician in his arms. Robin's dead eyes stared back at him. Emptiness was all they betrayed.<em>

_Chrom buried his head in his hands wailing. There in the empty field, he'd lost his best friend... and now he was truly alone..._

_**Blink.**_

_Chrom clutched his head, looking around in confusion. He noticed Robin, standing just a few feet away. He looked perfectly fine, and despite Chrom knowing for a fact that he'd just seen his friend dead on the ground, Chrom sighed in relief._

_"I'm not sure what happened, but let's get going. Come on, your-"_

_He'd taken a few steps towards Robin, close enough that when Robin's head spontaneously exploded, Chrom was hit in the face with skin and flesh and skull fragments._

_**Blink.**_

The woman takes a sip from her wine glass, staring into a mirror with mild amusement. She wallows in the despair radiated by the man in her mirror, the poor soul she has trapped in an endless nightmare.

"Watching your best friend die is always painful. Watching him die over and over... that's Hell."

Her lips curl upwards.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Things are getting incredibly real, incredibly fast. The biological waste product is going to impact the rotary air conditioning appliance very soon.**

**I hope I'm portraying the characters accurately enough, and I hope the action flows well enough. I tend to worry about portraying things like this competently enough.**

**Either way, it's still fun to write, so I don't planning on stopping at all. Reviews, as always, are appreciated. Tune into the next chapter for an encounter with...**


	5. Disaster Catalyst

"What... what do you mean, they disappeared? How does some forty people disappear off the face of the Earth?" Robin asked, his face easily betraying his disbelief.

"Father, I-"

"For that matter," Robin continued, slowing down a bit, "are you two not Shepherds as well? Why are you still here?"

"Father..." Severa spoke up, "none of us from the future disappeared... we... all of us tried to figure out why... I'm sorry, daddy, I know it's hard to believe, but..."

"No... I believe you, Severa. I wouldn't doubt you," Robin said. It was only half true. He'd been suspecting all along that something had happened to Chrom, and wasn't surprised when they'd all but confirmed it, but... everyone else, too? And why weren't the children gone?

Robin sighed. There was a lot he didn't know, right now. Robin hated unknowns.

"Right... well, we should get to Ylisstol quickly. Where are all the others?"

"Everyone's at Ylisstol Castle... Lucina sent us to find you. Morgan had a hunch that you'd be here."

"I... thought you'd be in the same place as when you first met Chrom... I didn't have any other ideas," Morgan finished, sniffling.

"Wait... Lucina? A hunch? ...How long has everyone been gone?"

"It will have been a little over a month since their disappearance..." the elder said, speaking up again.

"A... a month..."

"Lucina had to step in and... take the position of acting Exalt. There was quite an uproar when she revealed who she really was, but... it's hard to argue with the Brand in her eye."

"Lucina..."

"Father, we should get going now," Morgan said, tugging at Robin's sleeve.

"Yeah... you're right," he said. Then he turned back to the elder. "We should get going soon... I wish we could stay and help the town recover, but..."

The elder dismissed Robin's worries with a smile and wave of his hand.

"You've done enough by driving those bandits away. We are very grateful. You should head to Ylisstol quickly to get to the bottom of this disappearance. And... here. Take these with you. It may not be as powerful as what you have, but..."

Saying this, the elder held out an Elthunder and an Elfire.

"No, this is much appreciated," Robin said, gratefully taking the tomes. "Thank you very much. Come, Morgan. Severa."

"Yes, Father," his two daughters said in unison.

"...Has anyone seen my horse?"

* * *

><p>They had kept a steady pace to Ylisstol, and as night fell they stopped to set up camp for the night. Severa tethered her horse to a tree (which incidentally had been hidden by a stable hand after Severa lost it) and gave it a few pats on the head. Robin and Morgan were busy gathering firewood, and Severa stayed behind to watch their belongings.<p>

So basically, she was bored.

"Gawds, why do I have to be one to watch our stuff? I mean it's not like anyone's going to be happening this way in the minutes it'll take you to come back!" She shouted at nothing.

Her horse looked at her, before blowing air through its nose.

And so, Severa sat and waited.

It was a while before something caught her attention. A rustling in the bushes behind her snapped her out of her reverie, and she turned to the source.

"Father? Morgan? What took so long? I was bored out of my..."

Something burst out the bushes, something that wasn't Robin or Morgan.

Severa jumped backwards, her hands going for her sword. She narrowly dodged a sword swing herself as she brought hers up to bear. She swung diagonally downwards, and her blade caught her opponent's, and she managed to see what exactly she was fighting.

_Risen? Here?! No... there's something different about this- Woah!_

She felt her blade get pushed backwards, and dodged the not-Risen's downward swing. Using the momentum of the sidestep, she spun her body around, bringing her sword in a circle to impact the enemy's abdomen, tearing a deep gash into its stomach. It staggered backward, and Severa quickly followed with another swing, this time to the neck.

She panted as its head detached cleanly from the body.

The body didn't disintegrate into black dust like a Risen would. Instead, it began to glow white, enveloping itself in a bright light. With a loud crackle, the body shattered into multicolored shards that quickly disappeared.

"Severa? Sorry we took so long, Morgan wanted to- Severa?!" She heard her father behind her, as his tone went from conversational to alarmed in less than a second. "What happened, Severa?!"

"Sis! Are you okay?" Morgan asked, with concern in her voice.

That's when more rustling came. Slowly at first, but quickly ramping in intensity as it spread all around them.

"Daddy... I think we might have a problem."

* * *

><p><em>She was falling. She was falling, and Lissa was running. Lissa had to catch her. She had to catch her sister. She didn't care that she'd already seen Emm fall to her death. She didn't care that trying to catch her would probably result in both of them dying. She had to try. She had to save her sister.<em>

_Lissa kept running. Emmeryn kept falling. Lissa kept running. Emmeryn kept falling._

_How long had she been running? How long had she seen Emmeryn falling? She'd lost track. It couldn't have been longer than... a day... or a week... right?_

"Keep running, little girl. You'll get there eventually. Possibly. Actually, probably not."

She lets out a quiet chuckle.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Where's this all going? No one knows. Except me, of course.**

**For those of you wondering what I'm talking about with Severa and the horse, Severa's a Bow Knight. Robin and Morgan are both Grandmasters, incidentally. And since someone asked: Robin has hair color 5, not 13, so no Miku Severa, unfortunately.**

**Also, for this fic I'm treating the SpotPass paralogues as non-canon. So no Gangrel, Emmeryn, etc. If that bothers you, sorry about that.**

**Keep those reviews coming, and stay tuned!**


	6. Skirmish Logistics

"Ggghhh... Damn it! Not again!" Severa yelled, as a lance tip nicked her lower arm. She grabbed the shaft of the lance, kicking its wielder backward. She haphazardly spun the lance and stabbed the knight that originally held it in the face. And just like before, the body exploded into shards of light. But just as one fell, another came in to take its place. Severa scowled, it was a myrmidon this time. She brought her blade up to block the inevitable swing, and as its blade contacted hers, she pushed to send it stumbling backwards, following up with a swing of her own. A glancing blow from its blade sent her swing off at an angle.

"Where... are you... all... coming from?" Severa grunted, between swings.

Meanwhile, Robin had just pulled his sword from an archer, his Thoron tome having run out. Morgan was at his back, flinging thunderbolts everywhere.

"There's too many, Father! I don't know how much longer we can keep this up..." Morgan panted, in between bolts.

Robin didn't respond, he has too busy running things through in his mind.

_This has all the makings of an ambush, but who would wait in ambush for us? There was no way for anyone to know would be here, considering we just left, and besides... these things aren't Risen, but they're not human... I've never seen creatures like..._

Robin grunted as the flat of an axe caught him in his chest. He fell backwards, bumping into Morgan and sending the both to the ground.

"Father, no!" she said, even as she fell. Landing on her hands, she quickly turned onto her back, trying to fire another bolt at the enemies standing over them, but her hands stung from the landing and she missed, the bolt harmlessly crashing against the ground.

Robin grunted, swinging his sword protectively, trying the fend off the things surrounding him.

"Come on Morgan, get up!" he yelled. He grabbed Morgan, pulling her up, but in the process catching an axe in his shoulder.

"Father!"

Then she heard Severa shriek just a few feet away.

"Sis, no!"

They were surrounded. There was no time to think, no time to strategize. Morgan yelled, firing more bolts haphazardly. It was... all she had left...

"When truth calls for its heroes..."

Morgan paused as she heard that voice.

"And righteousness wills for evil to fade..."

Another voice, this time from above.

"Th..." Morgan started, "Th-... THE JUSTICE CABAL WILL BE THERE TO VANQUISH THE DARKNESS!"

"Well said, my stalwart ally! These heathens will know the name Owain Dark!" the first voice shouted, as Owain burst forth from the trees, landing on a barbarian with his sword. Quickly pulling it out, he swung quickly but with finesse, with experience, quickly beheading three of the enemies in a blur.

"Morgan! Looks like we came just in time!" Cynthia yelled, throwing down javelins with frightening accuracy, with an almost perfect throw-to-kill ratio.

"Owain! Cynthia! You... you sure did!" Morgan yelled gratefully. With renewed vigor, she fired more lightning from her hands.

Robin couldn't help but smirk, and despite the pain in his shoulder he fought with a strength he thought he'd lost. He'd always suspected that Owain and Cynthia somehow had an aura that boosted nearby allies' fighting power, but he made a mental note to possibly formalize it as a strategy.

Another yell of pain snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Severa?!" he yelled in her direction.

"What? Who dares to lay a finger on my beautiful life partner?!" Owain shouted theatrically, before jumping into aid her.

"O-Owain..." she said weakly. Her energy was spent, and she felt nearly ready to collapse.

"You've done well, Severa... leave the rest to me," Owain said, hugging her tightly in a rare display of soft kindness. Then he returned to his persona. "Cynthia! My love requires your aid! And now... you all shall witness the fury of the Avenging Avenger... OF JUSTICE!"

And with that, his blade dance began anew.

* * *

><p>"Nnnh..." Robin grimaced as Cynthia's staff closed his wound. After the final... thing fell, Cynthia went about healing Severa's various wounds. Morgan hadn't been seriously injured, with her worst injury be a scraped elbow from when she fell.<p>

"There you go, Robin! Good as new!" Cynthia said, smiling.

"Thanks... and thanks for... saving our hides," he replied. Outwardly, he was thankful, but inwardly he couldn't stop kicking himself. He should have been ready for an ambush, but he'd been too preoccupied with just spending with his daughters. They were put in danger because of him.

"Robin..." Cynthia started, sensing his anxiety, "you did fine. I'm just glad... that you're back. I... *sniff* I've missed you so much!"

Robin was caught off guard by Cynthia's sudden hug. He didn't know how to respond to this. Various memories surfaced, and he remembered comforting her... as her father, and as her lover. But he wasn't either of these things now. His memory was muddled beyond that. Instead, he looked around the newly made campfire. Morgan stared at him with a smirk, a book on her lap. Severa sat next to Owain, sleeping with her head on his shoulder. He saw Owain's hand squeezing hers.

"*sniff* Sorry, Robin," Cynthia finally said, releasing him, "I guess I got emotional, huh?" She chuckled.

Robin returned her smile. "Don't worry about it."

His thoughts turned to those things they had fought. They weren't Risen, but they fought incredibly similarly. They looked to feel no pain, and shirked any sort of planning in favor of rushing en masse.

"Cynthia... do you know what those things were?"

She nodded grimly.

"They popped up in the capital about a day ago... after Morgan and Severa had already left," she began to explain. She took a glance at Morgan, who was now listening intently.

"We... thought they were Risen... but it didn't take people long to realize that they were anything but that. Their eyes didn't glow, and they didn't die the same way either, as you've seen."

"They also..." Owain spoke up, "they didn't smell."

"Smell?" Morgan asked.

"Right," Owain replied, "they don't smell of death like the Risen do. All of these facts came together, and we came to the conclusion that these things are something new entirely."

"That's when L- uh... the Exalt sent us to get you... she- I mean..." Cynthia began.

"No, don't worry. I know that Lucina's acting as Exalt for the time being."

"H-Huh? Then you also know..."

"Yes. The Shepherds have disappeared. That's why we have to get to Ylisstol quickly."

Cynthia sighed in relief. "Oh, thank gods. I thought we'd have to explain everything to you."

"Have you... come up with a name for these... things?" Robin asked.

It was Owain who spoke up next.

"Simulacra."

* * *

><p>They packed up early next morning, and without much delay they rode off again Ylisstol. Cynthia kept their pace a few yards ahead of them. Owain, having flown in with Cynthia, decided to switch spots with Morgan, who had been riding with Severa. And though Severa tried not to show it, Robin knew how happy she was with the switch. With Robin be the only one on foot, their pace was fairly slow, but he was still confident that they would reach the castle before sundown.<p>

And from there, he and the children could figure out where, how, and why the Shepherds had disappeared to, and, Robin hoped beyond all else, find a way to bring them all back.

* * *

><p><em>"Chrom... you know she still loves you." Robin snarled, his fists shaking. Chrom said nothing.<em>

_"What? No! Robin, I don't!" Cordelia yelled, but her voice didn't seem to reach them._

_"She's going to keep loving you. Even if she says she doesn't. Even if she doesn't want to."_

_"Robin, stop! That's not true!" Cordelia yelled again._

_Chrom stayed silent._

_"I'm sorry, Chrom. I love her too much. And as long as you're still here, we can never truly be together."_

_"R-Robin..." Cordelia's eyes widened in a horrified realization._

_"Goodbye, Chrom," Robin finished, before tackling Chrom to the ground. He was on top of Chrom, and he drove a fist into his friend's face._

_"R-Robin... stop... stop! Please!" Cordelia screamed, her voice getting hoarse. It mattered not._

_Robin sent another fist towards Chrom's face, and then another, and another, and another. Each blow was amplified in Cordelia's ears, and she covered them in an attempt to drown out the noise. It didn't help._

_"Please stop... Robin, I love you..." she croaked, tears falling from her face._

_"I love you! I love you! I love you... so... stop... please... I love you... I love you... I love you..." She repeated it like a mantra, even as the sound of the blows became wetter and wetter._

"...Love hurts."

She can't help it. She begins to cackle.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hoo boy. We get some insight onto what it was that Robin and crew were fighting, as well as the introduction of Owain and Cynthia into the story. Owain is a Swordmaster, and Cynthia is a Falcon Knight. We also see the first child pairing. I like OwainxSevera because of how heartwarming it is. That S Support is adorable.**

**Also, oh god what have I done? I'm so sorry Cordelia ;_;**

**...Anyways. Thanks for reading up to this point. Please leave some reviews, and stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	7. Memory Verification

They'd arrived in Ylisstol ahead of time, Robin surmised, judging by the position of the sun in the sky. It might have been because they left early, or might have been because he had unconsciously kept his pace fast. He did want to see everyone again. Well, the kids, anyway. That thought soured him just a bit, that after all this time he wouldn't even get a proper reunion.

During the trip, Robin idly asked Severa and Owain questions about what had happened while he was gone. He had been gone for about a year and a half, according to them. During that time, Chrom and Sumia had ushered in a new era of prosperity and goodwill, with no threat of war to bog everyone down; Basilio and Flavia remained the Khans of Regna Ferox, with the reins being passed to and fro with stunning regularity; Virion returned to Rosanne, with his popularity having tanked, until a certain fiery redhead increased his popularity... by force; Say'ri returned to Chon'sin and helped restore peace to Valm; and so on, and so on. Robin listened intently, enjoying the conversation, but at the same time using the details to try and unscramble his memories.

As they made their way up to the castle, he noticed quite a few stares in his direction, and he could understand why. There were excited murmurs permeating the crowd, and he distinctly at one point heard "No, his hair's too dark, that's not him."

_...Huh._

And yet, as he walked, he could tell the crowd was moving to make way for him, like his own personal parade.

"Heehee... It's kind of embarrassing, isn't it?" Cynthia said, her pegasus walking alongside him. "It takes a while to get used to. But once you do, it's kind of a nice feeling."

Well, Robin wasn't sure about that, but he smiled nonetheless. "Yeah... I guess I'll get with it eventually."

After a while and a few fans without a concept for personal space, they had made their way through the castle gates, into the courtyard, and to the main hallway. Robin looked around, getting a feel for the atmosphere. It was about as extravagant as he remembered it, that is to say not too extravagant at all. That was one of the constants in his memories, and he was thankful for that. It was an anchor for him to root himself with.

Eventually, they had made their way to the door to the main chamber.

"Everyone was hoping that we'd actually be able to find you. They're going to be so happy to see you!" Cynthia said, before pushing open the door. "Hey guys! Look who I-"

"Robin!" Robin had had about 0.8 seconds to react before a diminutive form wrapped itself around him, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Um... Nah?" Robin started, "It's nice to see you too, but... when did you become your mother?"

"Oh, hush!" Nah said, still gripping him in a hug. "Can't I just be happy to see you after a year and a half?"

"Well... I guess, but..."

"See? So just let me be. Everyone's missed you too!"

It was a few seconds before Nah released him, and by that time everyone else had formed a circle around him. He exchanged handshakes and tearful smiles with everyone.

"Robin," it was Lucina that spoke up after everyone had settled down, "I'm sure you've been told about the current situation."

Robin nodded. "But the question is... how? And why? We're sorely lacking in clues..."

"I may have a hypothesis," Laurent chimed in, "though I haven't found any proof to test it. The disappearance of the Shepherds and the appearance of the Simulacra seem to coincide in a time frame that is too close to be coincidental. Perhaps one is related to the other... though I haven't figured out what the connection could be."

"Hmm... that's a point," Robin mused. "That reminds me, on our way here, we were caught in an ambush by these... Simulacra. That's odd though, isn't it?"

"Indeed. These things do seem to act like the Risen on an individual scale. That they would stage an ambush implies that someone is maneuvering them," Laurent said, bringing his hand to his chin, "we've only seen them once, attacking Ylisstol. But if what you have told me holds merit..."

Robin nodded. "They're targeting us."

At that, various murmurs came up between the group.

Robin sighed. "I guess this isn't the best time for worrying. For now, I should catch up with you guys. It's... been a while."

He saw smiles light up the entire group.

* * *

><p>Robin sat in his old bedroom, the one that had been given to him and his wife after the war in Valm.<p>

Dinner had been lively, and he was to thank for that, according to Lucina. It had been the first time everyone had been able to meet and have dinner as Shepherds in a long time. They had talked about many different things, from the groundbreaking to the mundane. Owain's theatrical style of speaking translated especially well into writing, and he became a successful novel writer. Inigo traveled with Brady to perform as a musical duo. Kjelle continued to train in Wyvern Valley with Gerome, turning down the title of Duchess of Roseanne. To be fair, the nobles didn't try very hard to persuade her. Cynthia took over as the captain of the Pegasus Knights. Laurent traveled with Noire around the world to discover new things, but eventually settled down in Ylisstol. Yarne and Nah did the same, electing to find a house in the outskirts of the city. Morgan and Severa continued to live in the castle, although Severa occasionally traveled to the other nations for adventure. She never strayed far from Ylisse, though. She didn't want to miss Robin's return.

Robin took a deep breath and stood, heading over to his desk. He pulled out a spare parchment, and began to write down everything that he recalled in the past few hours. Details of the current loop, as it were.

After a few minutes, he rubbed his eyes. He'd written down most of what he could remember, but there were a few details still missing. And that wasn't even considering every other loop. There was... a lot.

"Father?" He heard a voice at the same time he saw Morgan opening the door.

"Hmm? What's going on, Morgan?"

"Oh, no it's just... I... I miss Mother."

"Mother... Morgan, so do I. We'll bring her back. I promise."

"No, I... I mean... never mind. Sorry to interrupt you, Father."

"...Okay? ...Uh, goodnight, Morgan."

"Goodnight, Father," she murmured as she left.

Robin yawned, and he moved to the bed. He laid his head down, trying to think about how he was going to keep his promise. He missed... them."

Robin sighed. He looked at the empty space next to him on the bed. He had a feeling things might get... awkward... between him and all the women.

"Well... I just brought that thought upon myself," he mumbled as his consciousness drifted away.

* * *

><p>Morgan slipped back into her room. She looked over at Severa, sleeping soundly in her bed. She sighed. She shuffled over to the mirror in the room. She gave her reflection a good look. She brought her hands to her cheeks, slapping them softly, and curling her lips up. She brought a hand to her hair next, holding a strand of hair in between her fingers. Her smile fell, and she sighed.<p>

Personally, she thought she looked better with blonde hair.

* * *

><p>She swirls the wine in the glass, swiping her fingers across the mirror. She smiles at the scenes that scroll by.<p>

Maribelle in the fetal position, holding Lissa's disembodied head.

Lon'qu frantically looking for an escape, surround by distorted, featureless, grey female humanoids.

Donnel staring in horror as his village and its villagers burn endlessly.

Nowi crying on the ground, surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of gravestones.

She smiles. The build-up has gone on long enough, she thinks. Time to start... the real story.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: When you set a precedent on yourself by updating every day, suddenly not doing so makes it feel weird. My last update was four days ago and while that may be super fast for most others, like I said, precedent.**

**Also, a few key things are happening in this chapter, most important being that whoever is responsible for everything that's happening right now is... eager to get on with the show. And what a show it will be. Robin will soon discover that... actually, I probably shouldn't tell you.**

**She'll get mad.**


	8. The Black Crystal - Gathering

Waking up in this bed felt somewhat... nostalgic. After who knows how long being who knows where, this particular feeling was surprisingly calming. He grasped at the empty space next to him. His eyes moved over to his hand.

Sighing, he stood, slipping on his tactician's robe. He found himself look back at the bed. Was it someone in particular he was looking for? Or was he just pining for anyone? With a bit of unease, he left his room. As he did, he caught Lucina walking towards him, holding her younger self.

"Uncle!" the younger Lucina said, waving her arms at him.

"Hello Lucina, and hello Lucy." he said smiling. It had been brought up in casual conversation yesterday that they'd come to call the younger Lucina 'Lucy' to avoid confusion.

Lucy giggled, before holding her hands out to have Robin hold her.

He took Lucy from her older self's arms. "And how have you been?"

"Good, now you're here! Lucina said you were gonna find Mommy and Daddy."

"Yes, ma'am," Robin responded, "I'll have them back in no time."

Lucina cleared her throat. "Robin."

"Um... yes?"

She chuckled a bit, before continuing. "Everyone's heading to the throne room. I was taking Lucy back to her room, but she wanted to talk to you so badly. Can you take her there for me?"

"Huh? Well, sure I can."

Lucina smiled. "I can tell the others to wait."

"Wait? What does that mean?"

At that, Lucy giggled in his arms.

"See you there," Lucina replied, before leaving him with her. Lucy did a tiny salute as Lucina walked away.

"Well then... Shall we go, Princess?" Robin replied.

"Yay!"

* * *

><p>Robin quietly stood, looking at Lucy sleeping in her bed.<p>

She had talked to him nonstop about a multitude of different things, mostly stories he'd heard already. He listened nonetheless, smiling the whole time. He was just glad. Little Lucy was another constant between loops. Before long, her talking slowed down, and she nodded off.

He quietly left the room, closing the door softly.

He then made his way to the throne room.

"What took you so long, Daddy? Gawds, do you know how long we were waiting for you?" Severa snapped at him the instant he got within earshot.

"Sorry... Lucy had a lot to talk about."

That elicited a few sighs, eye rolls, and chuckles.

"Anyway... any progress from this meeting of the minds?"

"Nothing substantial, unfortunately," Laurent said, adjusting his glasses, "we have nothing to give us a lead. Our best bet, we've decided, is to wait until some more Simulacra appear."

"And I'm saying that we can't just twiddle our thumbs while we wait!" Lucina argued. "Who knows what's happened to everyone? By the time those things appear, everyone could already be..."

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed.

"U-Um... I r-really think... I mean, we don't have any other ideas..." Noire spoke up.

"We go find them, of course!" Lucina said, her voice betraying how unsure her voice was.

"Y-Yeah!" Cynthia chimed in.

"Look for them... where?" Laurent rebutted. "Like I've explained, we have no leads. No clue on where to search..."

"B-But..." Lucina stammered out.

* * *

><p>"They're so confused... it's pitifully adorable."<p>

She sits at a long table, on which rests a chess board, already set up. A pack of cards lies to the side of the board. She waves her hand across the chess board, and all the chess pieces, except for the white king, magically change color to a deep crimson. She then takes the pack of cards, shuffles them, and quickly deals 29 of the cards onto the table. She takes the remaining cards and sets them aside. She fans the 29 cards on the table, then takes one of them at random.

"Seven of hearts... interesting."

The chair she's sitting in glides over to the side, putting her in front of a map. She lays the card on the map, then her hand hovers over the chess pieces, and she deliberates.

She settles for a pawn, and brings it toward her. She fiddles with the piece for a few seconds. Her everlasting smirk widens to a grin.

"This'll do... Let's start our game, shall we?"

And in saying so, she drops the pawn onto the card on the map.

* * *

><p>The argument was abruptly ended when a loud booming noise reverberated throughout the room. The room shook, and confusion gripped the group.<p>

"Tha heck was that?!" Brady was the first to speak up.

"I... don't know..." Morgan stammered, clinging to him, "Father?"

Before Robin could respond, a guard barged into the room. "E-Exalt! Something has landed in the courtyard!"

Everyone looked at each other, before all rushing to the courtyard.

* * *

><p>What Robin saw was beyond any sort of explanation he had.<p>

In the center of the impact crater, a large black crystal stood, about eight feet tall and four feet wide.

"What... is that?" Severa whispered.

"I don't know, but..." Robin started.

"...it looks like we found our lead..." Laurent finished.

* * *

><p>She snaps her fingers.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hey, uh... any idea why it's glowing?" Yarne asked, and everyone's attention turned to the crystal. There a weird black glow that surrounded the crystal as it shimmered.<p>

"Nnngh!" Robin grunted as he felt an intense headache hit his temples. He fell to the ground, as black spots dotted his vision. He gritted his teeth, trying to endure the pain, but his mind was overwhelmed by it. He felt close to unconsciousness, and before he slipped fully under, he could hear everyone calling not only his name, but also Nah's.

* * *

><p>"What..." Lucina said, blinking. One moment they were there, doubled over in pain. The next, the were just... gone. Gone in a dark flash that interrupted her vision for literally a millisecond.<p>

Yarne rushed forward, pounding at the crystal.

"What did you do?! Where's Nah? What did you do with her?!" he shouted, his face a mixture of anger and disbelief.

Everyone else just stared at the crystal, utterly confused.

* * *

><p>Robin shot up, looking around. It felt like he couldn't have been out for more than a minute, but... where was he? He didn't recognize this place at all. He looked around, finding himself in the room of some sort of temple. The walls were dark brown, dripping an unknown green fluid that Robin wasn't planning on touching... ever. There was a low growling noise occurring throughout the rooms, and an... off smell. A dank wind blew through the room, ruffling his robes. He noticed that there was someone else lying nearby.<p>

"Nah...! Hey, Nah, are you okay?" he said, rushing over and scooping her up. Her eyes opened slowly, and she scrunched up her nose.

"Khhhh... R-Robin? Where are we? ...What's that smell?" she asked him, as she lifted her head to look around.

"Your guess is as good as mine. You can stand, right?"

Nah nodded, and Robin let her down.

"I don't like this place... how did we get here?"

"I... I'm not sure... the last thing I remembered was that crystal started glowing..." Robin replied.

"That... crystal? Wait, where is everyone else?!" Nah asked, concern flashing on her face.

"Judging from what I heard before I fell unconscious, it's only us here. I think we're the only ones who got... whatever happened to us..."

"Does that mean everyone else is safe?"

"I'm not sure, Nah. I think the more pertinent question is... how do we get out of- what was that?" Robin said, pointing down one of the hallways. He caught a mass of black moving along the hallway at a junction.

Nah looked at where Robin pointed.

"I... didn't catch it."

Robin reached for the Elfire tome he had gotten back at Southtown. He hadn't brought his sword with him, but this was light enough to carry with him, so it had stayed in his bag.

"Do you have your stone?" Robin asked, looking over at Nah. She nodded, Showing him the stone in her hand.

"Right. With how dreary this place is, I'm betting we're... somewhere underground. Then our best bet would be to find some stairs up if we want to get out."

Robin began to head down the hallway.

Nah looked uncertain, but she nodded and followed.

* * *

><p>"Let's find out how you play your pieces, Robin. Let's see how yours stack up against mine."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And thus we are introduced to the trinkets. The black crystal is the first of these trinkets, and... well... Robin's going to have his work cut out for him.**

**You'll notice that this is were the naming scheme changes; I'm still not sure what I was going for with the old naming scheme, so when the actual meat of the story came I decided to change the naming scheme a bit.**

**A word of warning in advance: the pacing in the story is going to take a weird turn. The main arc will involve these trinkets, and there are quite a few of them. And though each trinket will do different things and bring them into different situations, most of the general details will not change between the trinkets.**

**Think of each trinket as the equivalent of a chapter in the game, or more accurately, a Megaman level.**

**As for why the trinket chose Nah... well, that'll be revealed in the next chapter.**

**As always, thanks for reading. Please leave some more reviews, and stay tuned.**

**(Also why do I always post these things when it's 2AM?)**


	9. The Black Crystal - Unleashed

"H-Hey, what's going on?" Inigo whispered, as the black crystal began to shift and shimmer. Small bits of the crystal began to slough off, but just as quickly the missing space was filled in.

"Y... Yarne! Watch out!" Morgan shouted, as the sloughed off pieces shifted in shape... becoming more and more human.

"Gaaargh!" Yarne cried, stumbling backward. A large gash appeared on his chest, the sword cutting through his skin.

"Get him out of there!" Morgan cried, as she pulled out her Elthunder. "They're here."

Owain and Inigo pulled Yarne away from the Simulacra that had appeared from the crystal while everyone else began to engage.

Brady rushed to his fallen friend's side, readying his staff.

"Ain't nothin' serious, thank gods..." Brady muttered as the staff bathed Yarne in a healing light.

"So, like, is this the source of those things?!" Cynthia yelled as she ran her spear through one of them.

"I am unsure... But I believe there now exists a strong correlation between these things and the disappearances," Laurent stated, shooting a blast of fire at one of the Simulacra.

The battle continued on, with no one knowing when it was going to end.

* * *

><p>Robin and Nah ran down the hallway, trying avoid breathing in the putrid smelling air. Robin tried to track down the thing he'd saw earlier, but so far he'd had no luck. Before long, they'd found themselves in another room, this one much bigger than the one they'd initially found themselves in. The room housed several statues, each depicting a small child in various positions. There was something off about them, but Robin couldn't quite figure out what.<p>

"Robin... something feels very wrong with this room..." Nah said. She had unconsciously clung to his robe.

"It's... I'm sure it's all in your head, Nah." Try as he might, Robin couldn't stop his voice from shaking a little.

"I hope you're right..." Nah, sensing the shaking in Robin's voice, tried to calm herself down.

That's when they heard the giggling.

It echoed through the room, seeming to come from all directions.

"Who's there?!" Robin shouted, pulling his tome to bear. He felt Nah cling to him even closer, even as she muttered the words "I have to be brave".

Robin took a few uneasy steps toward the center of the room, towards the statue in the middle. He had taken the time to examine the layout of the room, noticing that the statue in the center stood alone, with the rest of the statues surrounding it in a circle, giving in a wide berth. All of the statues were facing the statue in the center, almost as if...

Robin felt his sweat run cold.

* * *

><p>"Almost as if they were keeping watch on it."<p>

* * *

><p>"More friends to play games with...?"<p>

Robin looked around, trying to identify the source of that voice... it was the same voice that was giggling before. He was sure of that. And what did it mean when it said 'play games'?

"Who are you? Where are we? Why were we brought here?" Robin asked, directing his voice to the statue in front of him.

"Ooh! Are we playing the Questions Game? I love this game!" the voice replied. It sounded like a child, but there was something wrong with how it sounded. Robin's uneasiness had only intensified. "I'm just a bored kid! You're in my house! And... you're here to play with me!"

"No... that doesn't follow," Robin said, trying to quell his unease, "if you could tell us how to get out of here, that would work better."

"Now, why would I do that?" the voice cooed, with a malicious undertone. "You've set me free. I can play more now. Why... would I ever... let you go...?"

In the next moment, Robin and Nah were blown backward by a massive shockwave, as the statue in the center blew apart. Robin stood on his feet quickly, picking up Nah and shielding her as the statues around the central one blew apart as well.

He barely felt the debris impact his back, as even as he grunted in pain, the shrieking that pierced his ears drowned out everything else.

As the wind died down, Robin braved a peek at the room.

They stared back at him.

They stared, with their red eyes, and their dark, misty forms. Only as big as children, they stared, unmoving. There were hundreds of them.

"So... let's play hide and seek! Maybe if you find me, I'll let you go!" the voice echoed around him again.

The giggling punctuated the entire scene, as it faded away. He watched as the staring forms around him moved away from him... or rather, were dragged away. Something invisibly pulled them by their necks, and Robin and Nah were left alone in the room once again.

He felt Nah's hands grip his shirt, and saw her squeezed eyes eke out tears.

"What was that Robin?! What in gods name just happened?!" Nah yelled. Robin wish he had an answer, but he was as lost and (he would reluctantly admit) scared as she was.

"I don't know, but..." he paused, trying to process his thoughts.

"It's hard to be brave like this... I have to be... I thought, when Grima died... I thought everything would be okay again... I had Mother and Father and I'd never have to live like I did before..." she sniffled, her words coming out between short, sharp sobs, "But they disappeared again! I had to put up a brave front, Robin! I had to go back to how I was before! But that... that thing...! It's too much! I... I-I can't..."

Robin stood there, as Nah cried into him. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor half-dragon. She really had been through so much.

"Nah... I'm here. I'm not your Mother or your Father, but I'm here. And until you... we find them again, I'll be here for you. ...For all of you. I'll be your second Father, if you need me to be. So no more crying. Save your tears for the joy you'll feel when we bring them back."

He felt Nah's sobs subsiding, and she simply stood there, looking down at the ground for a few seconds. Finally, she let go of his shirt.

"You know," she said with a sniff. "What you said... that was pretty amazing." She smiled.

Robin returned the smile, before turning back towards the room and to the three doorways beyond it.

"For now, let's find ourselves an unruly child."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: After the introduction to the Trinkets, it was only natural that I introduce the things living inside of them: the Nightmares. Our mysterious antagonist lady seems to be having a lot of fun toying with our heroes (read: I'm having a lot of fun toying with our heroes).**

**These were my thought processes with Nah's characterization in this chapter: she's a girl who was forced to put on a brave and serious front because of the bad future, and that's why she acts the way she does in game. After Grima's defeat, she allowed her self to be more honest and open, and became more and more like her mother (though not to that degree). When the Shepherds disappeared, she forced herself to put on a brave front again, but her walls were broken down too much, and her brave front cracked under the pressure of the Nightmare.**

**Does that make sense? I hope so. It's 2AM and I'm up updating this thing again for some god forsaken reason.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading this chapter. Please leave some more reviews, and stay tuned for the next 'un.**


	10. The Black Crystal - Shatter

"They just keep coming!" Kjelle yelled, raising her shield to meet the sword swing from the Simulacrum she was locked in combat with. Lucina retreated to the midst of the group, allowing Cynthia to heal her sister's wounds. Brady swung his axe, beheading one, as he panted.

"I still ain't used to this..." he muttered, before Morgan pulled him out of the way of a blade of wind. She followed up with a bolt of lightning at the Simulacra mage.

"H-How long... do we have to... keep this up?" Noire panted, flinging more arrows from the back. Her face changed. "I TIRE OF THIS FOOLISHNESS! LEAVE US ALREADY!"

"Daddy... where are you...?" Severa couldn't help but mutter, trying to fend off a group of Simulacra. Owain had stayed by her side the entire fight, and she could notice sweat covering his brow.

"Where are they all coming from?" Lucina inquired, staring at the crystal. Even as more and more fragments of the crystal broke off, it didn't seem to get any smaller...

* * *

><p>"Robin, how are we going to find this... child?" Nah inquired, as the headed down one of the hallways.<p>

"That's a good question," Robin replied. They turned a corner to find something disappear down a doorway. Robin followed, heading through the door to find a room with more of those child-like shadow... things...

"Are we... supposed to find the kid amidst all of these things?"

"I don't see any of them behaving differently. So if we're supposed to find them, I think we're to find them using a different method."

"A different method? Wait a second... *sniff* *sniff* ...Robin. Follow me," Nah said, before running out of the room.

"Nah? Hold on, where are we going?"

"I can smell it," Nah stated, running towards some destination. "I can smell loneliness, I can smell despair. I don't know if you know, but manaketes can smell someone's emotions... it's very faint, you know, but I can... I think I can find that child."

"Wait, loneliness? Despair?" Robin asked, barely keeping up with Nah's reasoning.

"Yeah. I can smell those, and it's coming from one location. But I can also smell... *sniff* In this room!"

They rushed into the room, to find a single shadow standing in the middle.

"...Found you," Robin said.

"No... No! That was too fast! You couldn't have-" it turned, it's red eyes focusing on Nah. "You cheated! That's not fair! You're not allowed to do that! Cheater! Cheater! Cheater cheater cheater cheater CHEATER!"

A low rumbling noise echoed throughout the building, coming from the doorway they had entered from.

Robin sensed something coming, and pulled Nah away from the doorway.

No sooner, then, did a flood of the shadow children stream through the door, surrounding the lone figure in the room. The accompanying wail of thousands wouldn't leave his mind for a long while.

* * *

><p>"Legion was always a temperamental child," she says, staring at the mirror and spectating the scene, "and they don't play nice when they get angry."<p>

* * *

><p>Before long, the flow of shadows abated, and Robin warily looked back up to see what he was up against. He scowled as saw the hulking monstrosity in front of him, composed of the shadow beings, with a single red eye in the center.<p>

"There's only one way to play with cheaters like you!" it said, as it brought a giant hand down upon them.

Robin pulled Nah out of the way, but as the gigantic hand landed it sent them off kilter. Faster than Robin could regain his footing, Legion brought its other hand across, sweeping the room in a wide arc. Robin felt himself pushed away as the hand narrowly missed him.

Nah was no longer right beside him. He could only watch in horror as its hand had balled itself into a fist.

"Nah!" Robin shouted, before he felt his emotions flare up in anger. He grabbed his Elfire tome and began to fling fireballs one after another. Legion blocked with its free hand, before it threw a detached piece of itself at him.

Robin was caught off guard, and did a clumsy roll to avoid the mass of shadows flying toward him. As he landed though, his ankle twisted at an angle, the same ankle he'd sprained two days ago.

He grunted in pain, and fell onto his rear.

_Damn it, of all the possible times... Nah..._

Luckily, his unsaid fears turned out to be unfounded, as Legion's fist exploded, sending shadow children flying every which way.

The next thing Robin knew, he was being carried by Nah, in her dragon form.

"Can you get on my back?" Nah asked, as they flew.

Robin grunted in response, as he grabbed onto Nah's arm and clumsily pulled himself onto her back.

"We're taking to the air. With so much space in this room, it would be such a waste if we didn't!" Nah shouted.

"Right," Robin said, grinning. Before, his uneasiness had been caused due to the eerie atmosphere of the "game" and the shadows that just stared at him. But now? Now there was a tangible, hostile target. And Robin knew how to handle tangible, hostile targets.

Nah danced around the air, nimbly dodging any stray arms and flung children that Legion threw at them. Robin noticed that any children that became detached from the main body were quickly pulled back towards it. Robin threw more fireballs at the hulking giant and noticed that it shielded its eye more than any other spot. An understandable action, but a glaring error in judgment.

"Nah, can you get me closer?"

"Closer? But that's dangerous! I won't be able to maneuver as well!" Nah responded.

"Nah, please. I need to get to that eye. Can you get above him, then?"

Nah was silent for a moment, swooping down to avoid another ball of children.

"Alright, that I can do. Hold on tight!" Nah said before darting upwards.

They skirted the ceiling as close as possible, as they danced above anything Legion could throw at them. With a roar, the giant threw a massive ball of itself towards them, too big to maneuver around.

"Nah!" Robin shouted, and she sent a breath of fire towards the mass in response. Robin followed up with a fireball, blowing the whole thing apart. "Now, go!"

Nah sped through toward Legion, and Robin leapt off her back, sending himself straight toward the eye. He unsheathed his sword, his tome dropping to floor, momentarily unneeded.

"You're finished!" Robin shouted. Legion attempted to block Robin's downward dive, but had used to much of its mass in that last attack.

Robin landed, his sword connecting with the eye. A loud wail almost sent him flying, but he held fast. He wasn't sure what happened next, but the next thing he knew he felt his back on the ground.

"Robin! Are you okay?" Nah asked, running to his side, having returned to her human form.

"Nah? Is it over?" he said, sitting up. He no longer saw a giant mass of shadows. Instead they stood, separated, looking at them. Then, one by one, they began to fade away. Robin could swear he could see some of them smile in thanks.

"It looks like it..." Nah stated, and as the last of the shadows disappeared, she pointed, "Robin, look!"

Robin followed her finger, to see one form left, its body having been impaled by his sword. Robin's stomach turned, and he ran toward it.

It began to glow, a familiar glow that Robin recalled seeing from the Simulacra. This one, however, didn't shatter like the rest, instead, a bright flash emanated from it, and Robin and Nah shielded their eyes. When the flash faded...

"Father? Oh gods! Father, is that you?" Nah shouted, running towards what Robin could now see was...

"Nghhh... where..." the war monk groaned, his feminine voice hoarse and ragged. He felt something collide with him. "Wha- Nah?"

"Father... I missed you so much..." she cried, her tears staining her father's robes.

"Shhh... there, there," he said, soothing his daughter, "I'm here now."

Robin let them have their moment. The gears in his head were turning, as numerous light bulbs went off. The Shepherds that disappeared were sent to... these places, which meant they had something to look out for on their search. It still left a lot of room for error, but it meant that they could send a message to the whole of Ylisse on what to look out for.

There was a strange whistling noise in his ears, and he snapped out of his reverie to see Nah falling over. A confused Libra caught her, only to fall unconscious himself moments later. And as Robin followed suit...

_At least there's no headache this time around..._

* * *

><p>"Wha... they've stopped coming?" Cynthia cried out, as the last Simulacrum fell.<p>

"It... It looks like it..." Inigo said, his voice unsure.

They all took a moment to collect their bearings, and waited for... something... with bated breath.

That something turned out to be a loud crackling noise originating from the crystal.

"Look out... something's coming!" Lucina called out.

The black crystal began to shake, and it began to crack in multiple places. With another dark flash, the crystal shattered, and the kids braced themselves for the debris, but it never came. The shards faded and passed through them harmlessly.

"Oh my gods, Father!" Morgan cried, spotting Robin lying where the crystal had once been. Along with him, the kids saw Nah and Libra lying just a few steps away.

"Nah, are you okay?" Yarne cried, as he rushed to her side. "Are... you're unhurt...?"

Robin stirred, before opening his eyes. "This situation is getting really familiar. I'm back."

Morgan hugged her father. She was joined by Severa just a few seconds later.

"Gods! Daddy, how many times are you going to this?"

"That depends, Severa," Robin replied, "how many times are you two going to do _this_?"

At about that time, Libra awoke, he sat up, looking around in confusion.

"Father..." Nah said, holding him tightly, "I was really scared."

"That's... I'm sorry Nah..."

"Don't apologize, Father... it wasn't your fault everyone disappeared."

"...Disappeared?"

"Yeah," Robin said, standing up after Morgan and Severa had released him. "We should head to the throne room. We have a lot we need to talk about."

* * *

><p>She grinned as the crystal shattered.<p>

"Very good, Robin. You're meeting my expectations, as... well, expected." She chuckled. "The story's headed right on track. It's time to set the next piece in motion..."

She drew another card from the fanned out pile.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: One down... a lot to go. Phew.**

**There isn't much to say about this chapter. It's basically a huge boss fight.**

**This is how I determined the first Shepherd to be rescued: I divided up the first gen Shepherds into four categories: Supports, Magic Attackers, Tanky Physicals, and Fast Physicals. These categories are fast and loose, and take into account a Shepherd's base class set. Supports included basically the healers and Olivia; Magic Attackers were, well, the mages; Tanky Physicals included knights and mercenaries; and Fast Physicals include myrmidons and pegasus knights. Like I said, fast and loose. I then assigned each category a card suit: Supports were Hearts, Magic Attackers were Diamonds, Tanky Physicals were Clubs, and Fast Physicals were Spades. From there it was basically the same thing that our mysterious antagonist did: I pulled cards from a deck until the amount for each suit matched the amount in each category. Then I drew one at random.**

**Wow! Insight into my thought process! I feel surprisingly vulnerable.**

**Also, longest chapter yet. I feel a weird sense of accomplishment.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading; please leave a review or two, and stay tuned.**

**(Also it's not 2AM yay!)**


	11. Calm Before

"Hmm... I see. That's troubling news indeed." Libra said, as Robin finished the explanation.

"Yeah, but now we have a lead. If the others are stuck in those things like you were, then all we need to do is find them," Robin replied.

"You said we were missing for a month, correct?" Libra asked, looking uneasy.

"Hmm? That's right."

"I see," Libra muttered. He paused a moment to catch his breath. "If that's the case, then I would prefer to find these things as soon as possible."

"Why's that?" Robin and Nah asked, almost in unison.

Libra sighed. "I was trapped, you see. Trapped in a nightmare, and I believe it was specifically tailored for me. I had lost track of the days, but it felt much longer than a month... closer to a year," Libra said, his voice beginning to shake.

There was a collective gasp in the group. Seeing the normally calm war monk shaken up like this sent murmurs through the collective. Nah gripped her father's hand, as if to comfort him. She felt a squeeze back.

Robin nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Lucina. "Lucina, send a message to as many nobles as possible in Ylisse and Valm. Tell them to be on the lookout for strange things falling from the sky." He turned to the rest of the group. "We'll be ready to mobilize once another one of these things is found."

Everyone nodded, and Lucina headed to the council room to notify the councilors.

"Father," Nah said, leading him out the room by his hand, "let's go."

"Go? Go where?" Libra asked in response.

"Around town," she replied. "We're going to get those nightmares out of your head."

"Nah, I... thank you."

Robin watched as they left the throne room.

"We should start getting things ready ourselves," Robin said, and everyone nodded.

* * *

><p>The sun had just finished setting, and Robin had finished organizing the supplies for the convoy. He shuffled over to the mess hall, grabbing his food before sitting at one of the tables. He was joined by his daughters, Morgan had brought a book with her to the table and Severa's hair was down, with a towel around her neck.<p>

"Morgan," Robin scolded, "you're going to get soup on the pages."

"Oh, I'll be fine, Father," Morgan replied, "I've gotten used to doing this. Not a drop will fall on this book."

"Yeah, but that's no condolence for the dozen books you did ruin."

"I didn't ruin them that bad!" Morgan shouted.

Drip.

A simultaneous sigh escaped from Robin's and Severa's mouths as a bit of soup stained the page that Morgan was reading.

"So... that's number thirteen." Severa said, exasperated.

"It wouldn't have been if you hadn't said anything!" Morgan shouted again.

"Girls, please," Robin said, "I want to enjoy this meal... together."

They looked at him, then at each other. Then they slunk back into their chairs.

"Yes, Father."

"Sorry, Daddy."

Morgan sighed and closed the book, pushing it to the side.

"But, seriously, what book is that? That better not be one of the strategy manuals I gave to you," Robin said, reaching for the book.

"Wait, Father, that's not..." Morgan started, but she was too slow.

"_Flowers for the Wyvern Rider_?" Robin inquired, reading the title of the book.

Severa gasped. "Wait a minute, isn't that the story with that really steamy-" her face turned red. "Morgan! You can't read that kind of stuff! You're too young for that!"

"Too young?! You're barely older than I am, sis!" Morgan countered.

"Nevertheless, I've got to disapprove! I mean, I know you and Brady... but... gawds! Just no!"

"What about you and Owain, huh? Last week I heard you guys-"

"Girls, please!" Robin shouted, and the two girls could vaguely register stifled laughing at the next table. Inigo, Cynthia, and Yarne were desperately holding in laughter. Owain and Brady had their faces in their palms, their faces red.

"...Yes, Father."

"...Sorry, Daddy."

* * *

><p>Robin had been lying in his bed for almost thirty minutes, but he was unable to find sleep. There was a lot on his mind, Libra's words hitting particularly deep. If they had all disappeared at around the same time, then it would have already been over a month for all of the Shepherds to experience those nightmares he spoke of. Libra's comment about a month feeling closer to a year was particularly troubling. That meant that relative time, as it were, was around ten times longer in those nightmares than in reality. The thought made him shudder, and didn't want to imagine having to endure something for that long.<p>

He rose from the bed, deciding to take a short walk around the grounds. It would give him time to clear his head.

He had chosen the garden as his destination, and had arrived after a short walk. He was surprised to find he was not alone.

"Libra? What are you doing here?" Robin asked as he caught the war monk standing up from a kneeling position.

"Ah, Robin. I'm surprised to find you here," Libra replied. "I was just praying to Naga, asking for her guidance."

"Guidance... yeah. I could use a bit of that right now."

They stood in silence, and Robin worked up the courage to ask him something.

"Hey, Libra... that nightmare of yours, what... did it entail exactly?"

Libra stood silent for a few seconds.

"Um... if you don't want to talk about it..." Robin offered.

"No, it's fine. Nah has taken me around Ylisstol the whole day; I don't think I'll be suffering from nightmares for a while. Even if I did, I would probably be too tired to do so."

They both shared a chuckle at that.

"My nightmare..." Libra started. "It's still a bit painful to remember, but it is mostly faded. I can talk about it if you need me to."

"I'm... grateful. Please." Robin said.

Libra sighed. "My nightmare... as I'm sure you know, I was abandoned by my parents at a young age, and was alone until the clergy."

"And that had something to do with the nightmare..." Robin guessed.

"...Yes. I found myself in darkness, and this unshakable feeling that I was... alone. You must understand... I was with Nowi just moments before, and... when I woke up, I didn't even look for her, I just... knew."

"I see... that would be a terrible experience for anyone, let alone for someone with your past," Robin said with a hint of sympathy.

"Yes... but it doesn't stop there. Even I could handle something like that. It began to worsen very quickly. I began to see them."

"...Them?"

"Abandoned children. Or perhaps they were the souls of children. But they kept asking me questions. 'Where is my father?', 'Why don't want my parents want to see me?', they kept asking me. I didn't... have an answer, and I couldn't drown it out. Everywhere I went, they were there. Asking me."

"Abandoned children..." Robin said thoughtfully. He remembered fighting those things inside the crystal. When he thought about it, the connection made sense.

"I'm... I'm actually glad I was able to say it. It's now a lot off my mind." Libra said, with a small smile on his face.

"Libra... do you think we... do you think we can do it?" Robin said hesitantly.

"Robin? Where is this coming from?" Libra asked.

"It's just... you said that for you it felt like a year. By the time we save everyone else, they could be in those nightmares for... for years. What if when they come out... they..."

Libra placed his hand on Robin's shoulder.

"I have faith in you, Robin. You, and everyone else. Nah has already eased my pain so much in only one day," Libra closed his eyes. "I am lucky to have such a kind daughter."

"Libra..."

"I saw Nene again. She has kind eyes, just like Nah does."

Nene was the Nah from this timeline. Nah had talked about her and all of the present children during last night's dinner.

Robin took an deep breath, then smiled again.

"You're right, Libra. Thank you. If we can give them more good memories... more love... they can forget about the pain."

"I believe in everyone, Robin. You all have the bonds to break their nightmares."

"I should get back to bed... you should start painting," Robin said.

"...Painting?" Libra replied, confused.

"Yeah," Robin finished, turning to leave, "Show Nowi a whole gallery to appreciate when we find her."

Robin heard a chuckle from behind him.

* * *

><p>Robin opened the door to find someone else in his room.<p>

"Morgan?"

"Father..." she said, turning toward him. She held a piece of parchment in her hands, and she was looking at him with disbelief. "What is this?"

Robin looked closer, and recognized the parchment in her hand as the one he'd written the other day. "Morgan... that's..."

"I found it hidden under your books. Father... do you not remember what happened?"

"Morgan, it's not that, I'm..." Robin was lost for words. How could he explain this? He was trying to think of some excuse, but nothing he said could possibly make sense...

"Father... how many..." she stopped, hesitating for a bit. "How many... how many cycles do you remember?"

Robin finally realized what was going on... and what Morgan was getting at.

"You... you remember too...?" Robin stammered.

He felt Morgan tackle him in a tight hug, and felt the front of his shirt begin to wet with her tears.

"I'm so scared, Father! What am I even... how am I supposed to deal with this?! I don't know who I am... my memories are a mess... I'm afraid I'll say something wrong... like I'll call someone else my mother... It'll be confusing for everyone, and... I'm..."

"You're scared you'll hurt someone," Robin finished.

Morgan sniffled. "Yeah..."

"Listen, Morgan. You're not alone, okay? We'll figure this out together. You don't have to do it alone anymore. You don't need to hold back; you can confide in me. I'll always be your Father... literally."

Morgan chuckled softly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You know, Father... what you said..."

"...Was kind of amazing?"

"Well... I was going to say cheesy," Morgan finished, grinning as she saw the frown on her father's face. "But that... it's made me feel better. Thanks, Father."

She handed the parchment she was holding to Robin.

"You should probably get to sleep," Robin said.

"I probably should," Morgan replied, before letting out a yawn. "Goodnight, Father."

Robin wordlessly nodded.

As soon as Morgan left the room, he returned the parchment to its rightful place under the strategy books, then lied down on his bed.

This time, sleep came almost instantly.

* * *

><p>Morgan stood at the door to her room, standing and debating whether or not she should head in. After awhile, she decided against it, instead tiptoeing over to another room. She gave it two soft knocks.<p>

"Hunh? Whosat?" she heard from inside, before the door opened, revealing Brady. "Whuh? Morgan? What're you doin' here this late?"

"Brady... can I sleep with you tonight?" she whispered.

Brady's face began to turn red and he stammered out his next words. "Wh... wh-why would that... I-I mean, I guess we're at that age, b-but still... I-It's jus' so sudden, ain't it? I-I mean..."

"Wh-what? No! No no no no no, not like that, I didn't mean..." Morgan stammered back, her face turning as red as his. "I just... I just wanted to be with you tonight."

"Eh...? Oh! Course ya did! Aha ha ha... Heh... y-yeah, I getcha now, but..."

"Oh come on, Brady, this is nothing... Everyone else has already... I mean... they've done things like this before, and... well, it's just..."

"Yeah... I getcha," Brady said, bringing Morgan into a hug, "you miss yer Ma... so do I. If it'll... if it'll help ya sleep, you can crash in my room whenever."

"Thanks, Brady," she finished, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

Morgan decided that she wouldn't feel guilty about anything anymore. She wasn't going to hold back because of her unexplained memories. She was going to surpass it, with her father, and with all of her friends. She knew that they all loved her regardless, and she wasn't going to betray that love by shying away from those that cared about her. She wasn't scared anymore.

Her fingers intertwined with Brady's, and sleep took them at roughly the same time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Let's take break from the whole trinket searchin' shenanidealies, hey? **

**This chapter deals with a few character interactions and sort of flip-flops around with the mood. I hope the mood changes weren't too jarring for you guys. It also brings back something I hinted at in Chapter 7, namely that Morgan remembers everything just like Robin. I fell like it may have resolved itself a bit too quickly, but I dunno. I'm still overall pleased with this chapter.**

**Thanks for reading up to this point so far! I appreciate all the reviews you've given me so far. The reviews have all been generally positive so far, and I thank you guys for that, and I hope that my writing stays at a good enough quality that the reviews stay positive. Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	12. (DISCONTINUED - An Apology)

**You know that feeling you get when you realize, or at least feel that, you've written yourself into a corner, or that you've planned something out way too haphazardly?**

**...Yeah.**

**I had a few good ideas for the fic as a whole, but I've gotten to this point, and I realize that this middle part is going to be, a) incredibly long, b) a slog to write, and possibly c) a slog to read through. I mean, I literally sat at my computer screen for about half an hour, trying to get an idea for this chapter. And I realized that it's only going to get worse from here on out. I'd rather cut myself off cleanly rather than sputter to a close. **

**Sorry about this. I know you guys were following the story intently, but I feel like you weren't going to be missing much; things would get really samey really fast. It was something I was willing to try and work around, but the more I think about it the more I realize that I wouldn't.**

**It sucks, too, because I had a really good climax and ending, but... yeah... that middle part. It would be a motivation killer for all involved.**

**Thanks for reading the story up to this point, anyway. I have another story planned in the future that will hopefully be more interesting the whole way through. Until then, farewell.**

**'Farewell'? Geez, that's so depressing. How about 'stay tuned'? Yeah.**

**Stay tuned.**


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